I have confidence in Chris Huhne, says David Cameron

Liberal Democrat energdy secretary has denied allegations he persuaded ex-wife to accept speeding penalty points on his behalf David Cameron says he has confidence in the beleaguered Liberal Democrat energy secretary, Chris Huhne, who is fighting allegations that he persuaded his ex-wife to accept speeding penalty points on his behalf. Told that he appeared to be leaving the minister to the wolves, the prime minister said on ITV1′s Daybreak: “Not at all. Everyone in my cabinet has my confidence – otherwise they wouldn’t be in my cabinet. “With the case of Chris Huhne, obviously he’s denied these allegations, the police are investigating and that I think is the right way to handle this.” Cameron’s comments came after Labour urged him to set up a Whitehall inquiry to establish the truth of the claims surrounding the eight-year-old speeding offence. Huhne is due to be interviewed by Essex police over the allegations, which first surfaced two weeks ago when his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce, told the Sunday Times he had asked someone else to take the penalty points. Subsequent press reports alleged that she was the person in question. Although Huhne has denied the allegations, which date back to his days as an MEP, he has had to endure a steady stream of disclosures apparently supporting Pryce’s claims. After the Mail on Sunday published details of Pryce’s driving licence showing she received three points for an offence on the date concerned, the shadow cabinet office minister, Tessa Jowell, said Cameron had to resolve the issue. “He should be getting a proper investigation independently – Cabinet Office or wherever – to establish what the facts were and, in the light of the facts, decide the best course of action,” she said. The Mail on Sunday photograph of Pryce’s licence shows a single, three-point fixed penalty offence for speeding on 12 March 2003, the date Huhne’s car is alleged to have been caught by a speed camera. Huhne has denied claims he was driving and that Pryce admitted the offence on his behalf because he faced a driving ban if he collected any more penalty points. It is alleged that he was returning from Stansted airport to his home in Clapham, south London, having flown in from Strasbourg, where the European parliament sits. Pryce’s licence is marked with the court code 1629, which, the newspaper said, shows the offence was dealt with by Southend magistrates court, in Essex, which covers the road network between Stansted and London. The licence does not show the time of day the offence occurred. However, it is reported that Pryce spent much of the day in central London, attending a conference in the morning and an event at the London School of Economics, where she stayed for a dinner until after 10pm. Last week, the Mail on Sunday, together with the Sunday Times, published details of what was said to be a taped telephone conversation between Huhne and Pryce, who divorced earlier this year, apparently discussing the case. Huhne was reportedly urging her not to talk to journalists about the allegations, saying there was no evidence to support the story “unless you give it some legs by saying something”. Chris Huhne David Cameron Liberal-Conservative coalition Liberal Democrats guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 23, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.